An apartment can be challenging to sound-proof if you are the renter. You obviously cannot make permanent changes to the apartment without getting permission from the landlord, and you also do not want to put much money into a property that you don't own. However, you have to consider your quality of life, especially if you have young children or a budding musician living over your head, and the noise disrupts your peace and quiet.
Measure the area of the room's ceiling to figure out how large a sound blanket you need. Different manufacturers have different products. Some sell blanket panels that you can hang up while others sell the whole blanket in one piece. Having the measurements of the ceiling ready will help you decide how many and how large a covering to get.
Install the hardware according to the manufacturer's directions. Generally, the sound blankets come with grommets along the edges. Use them to measure where to install the j-hooks or clips, depending on the manufacturer's recommendation.
Take out any light bulbs that might be in the overhead lighting fixtures. You do not want someone turning on a light switch and having a hot light bulb behind the sound blanket.
Hang the blanket by starting at one corner of the room and attaching the grommet to the hardware. It will help if you have a second person holding the sound blanket up while you do this. Move to the opposite corner and hang the blanket up, and then the other two corners.
Attach the rest of the grommets along the walls. You should have a tight fit so the blanket does not sag much in the center. To avoid this, you should use the panels approach for larger ceilings.
Things You Will Need
- Sound blanket
- J hooks
- Measuring tape
- kids image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com